The Last Man on Earth 3×06: “The Open-Ended Nature of Unwitnessed Deaths”

Tandy walks up to Lewis carrying a guitar, prepped with an apology song. Lewis stops him before he begins, saying he’s not in the mood because today would have been his anniversary with his partner, Mark (pictured below). Tandy changes his apology song to a Tribute to Mark song, which doesn’t help Lewis feel any better. Tandy asks for more information about Mark. Mark had been on a business trip to Tokyo when the virus hit. All planes were grounded, and Mark had told Lewis that he was going to attempt to board a ship back to America. Lewis assumes he’s dead, but since Lewis didn’t witness the death, Tandy holds out hope over ‘the open-ended nature of unwitnessed deaths.’ (Episode title. Take a shot.) (Reminder that Tandy assumed his brother was dead after the virus struck, but Mike had been in space for a few years, and eventually found his way back to his brother, due to the ‘Alive in Tucson’ signs Tandy left on billboards all over the country. With that kind of miracle happening, Tandy’s optimism in this situation makes complete sense.)

Carol asks Gail to be her baby’s grandma, but Gail is uninterested.

Tandy wants to take Lewis to Seattle to visit the house he used to own with Mark. Lewis repeatedly refuses and sees through every ruse Tandy tries, until Tandy tases Lewis and throws him in the back of a cop car.

Even if Mark isn’t in Seattle, Tandy thinks it would be good to leave a note there for Mark, just in case he’s alive and makes his way back to their house in an attempt to find Lewis, which is possibly the best idea Tandy has ever had, but Lewis still sees it as pointless. Right when you’re starting to see Tandy in a better light, he starts comparing himself to a picture of Mark, saying that Lewis must be attracted to him too, since they look so similar.

Carol draws a series called ‘Grannies That You Want to Get in Their Panties,’ which are celebrity grandmas:
Goldie Hawn

“Beyonce’s mom,” Tina Lawson

Kris and Caitlyn Jenner

and Gail.

She goes on to show Gail “Homely Lonelys,” and Gail agrees to being her baby’s grandma just to get Carol to leave her alone.

They get to Lewis’s house. Lewis still thinks it’s a dumb idea, but Tandy won’t leave until Lewis writes the note. Lewis goes in alone and is overwhelmed by emotion. Tandy sneaks in the house behind him, and for a moment, Lewis thinks it’s going to be Mark. Lewis yells and Tandy and kicks him out of the house.

Carol asks Gail to sign adoption papers. If Gail is going to be Carol’s baby’s grandma, Gail needs to be Carol’s mom first. Gail won’t sign because she thinks it’s unnecessary. Carol goes to her room.

At dinner, Lewis decides to open a bottle of champagne that he and Mark had been saving. Tandy begs him to not, just wanting him to have hope, but Lewis still doesn’t see the point. Tandy goes on to tell him about his own story. He drove around America, putting ‘Alive in Tucson’ signs up everywhere, even though he was sure he was the last man on Earth and that no one would ever see those signs. He was about to drive into a rock to kill himself, but Carol showed up and saved him. Even though it seems pointless, there’s still a slight possibility.

“I understand you’re a man who knows how to get things.” -M“I’ve been known to locate certain things from time to time.” -T“Can you get me a baby?” -M“I don’t think we have those.” -T“Then I guess we’ll have to make one. So let’s get busy getting busy, or get busy dying.” -M

Todd thinks there’s something seriously wrong with Melissa. She takes a poster of Rita Hayworth off of the wall and climbs through a hole she’s made.

Tandy and Lewis are ready to leave Lewis’s old house. Lewis tapes a note on the door.

Gail goes to Carol’s ‘house’ to apologize. Carol is acting immature, making her seem like the typical, ridiculous teenage daughter. Gail doesn’t understand why the adoption is so important to Carol, and Carol doesn’t understand why Gil won’t just sign it. Gail tells her that she was a mom and her son died, unrelated to the virus.

In the car ride home, Tandy sings (as usual) and Lewis actually joins in, surprising Tandy. Leaving the note has instilled a little bit of hope in Lewis. Realizing that he doesn’t have closure over what happened with Mike (who went back to their family home when he seemed to be dying at the end of last season), Tandy decides to head to Tucson.

Carol apologizes to Gail, saying that she had just pushed for the adoption because she misses her mom. After they both say that they love each other, Gail agrees to sign the papers to adopt Carol.

Tandy goes through the house. Mike isn’t anywhere around. He leaves a note for his brother, just in case.

He comes across the sports balls that served as his only friends, family, and community before the others came along. He takes Gary, his best friend out of all of them, back to the car with him.

I really liked this episode and the theme of ‘The Open-Ended Nature of Unwitnessed Deaths.’ Logic will tell you that your loved ones are gone, but the fact is that you really don’t know. Maybe it is stupid and pointless to have hope or to leave a note, but what if? What if they are alive, and what if the only reason you never reunite with them is because you never left an indication of where in the world to find you? I’m curious to see if the show will ever bring back Mike or just leave it open-ended. I think leaving it open-ended is kind of beautiful and reflective of life, but I do love Jason Sudeikis and would like to see him reprise this role.